No More Hiding
by le error
Summary: [ 2014!Turtles ] They had a reality check when one of their own gets hurt after a successful run. Raph isn't going to let this one go.


A/N: Anyone else excited for the new movie? This is based on the 2k14 cause I'm super hyped and need some outlet. Mild description of blood, injury and mention of decapitation at the end!

They had a cocky arrogance of being invincible ever since their first journey to the human world. They were always careful, not leaving any trails the first few weeks before they went on to crime fighting. It was nothing major. Stopping a few crooks here, a robbery there or beating up a scum rapist in the alley. Yeah, they got a little high headed.

This night was just like any other. Do a little exercise then scout around for some activity. Leo felt extremely tense this time, when is he not really? Raph found it increasingly annoying about being told to 'keep quiet' or 'be careful' by fearless leader. He should have been more attentive.

They found a group of gang members piling boxes of stolen goods into a rusty and inconspicuous van. Leo didn't waste a good moment and added a few training techniques that they had learned a few days ago on a previous patrol. It was good exercise to say the least. Mikey was bouncy, his hands already grabbing at his nunchuks and shifting side to side impatiently. Don was poised, his bo in one hand while the other was on his hip and waiting for a command. Raph was crouched low, watching over the humans like a hawk as was Leo. The crooks were still loading up the van while a few others were standing guard with heavy guns.

Simple take down, priorities were asserted even without much discussion. Leo gave a few familiar hand gestures towards Raph and Mikey then moved. It was on.

Raph quietly jumped towards the other apartment complex, siding next to Mikey with gave him a quick half nod. Mikey sprang into action first, being the fastest, he easily took out two of the guards without noise. Leo moved in and the rest followed. Don took out another guard so quick that Raph didn't get a chance to see it. Don carefully lowered the unconscious body to floor and by a dumpster. Shealth mode was officially off, now time for fun.

Raph barged in like a bull. He slammed himself against one of the men pushing the cart, the boxes went flying and made a collection of noises for all to hear. Leo blocked the exits and Don barricaded the boot of the van. There was no where to run for these guys. Raph loved chasing around the left overs. They did fast work. In and out without being seen.

Except they were.

Raph finished up with the last men when he turned. He spotted Don and Leo, seeking out anymore that would exit from the drop point but it was empty. Raph saw a small red dot appear.

A sniper.

"Donnie!" Raph cried out. Don turned, the dot moved but was still perfectly aim on his chest - _bang_.

A spray of blood splattered on Leo as he shield himself from the unexpected loud bang that startled them. Don fell forward, grabbing his chest in pain as he screamed.

"Mikey!"

"On it!"

Raph hurried towards his fallen brother and dragged him up by the brim of his carapace. All he cared about was getting him out of there, they were open and exposed. Leo followed after Mikey to chase after the sniper, hurriedly climbing the fire escape to reach the roof.

Raph dragged Don around the van, settling him up to sit against it so he could see the damage. He let go, blood already soaked his hand and through his bandages.

"Don." _This was messed up. Fuc-.._

Don moved his hand away, showing the damage that was done to the far right side of his plastron. It was barely a chip but the bullet entered his sensitive flesh when he had turned. If he hadn't, it would have been fatal. Raph put his hand over the bleeding wound, breathing deeply and ragged in worry. "Yer gonna be okay, D. Yer okay, yeah?"

Donnie hit the back of his head against the van and gave a whimper in response. He was going to be okay. Raph kept chanting that in his brain to keep himself from going on a rampage. That bastard was lucky to have Mikey and Leo going after him. Raph would have ripped the guy's head off.

Unsure of what to do, Raph kept Don preoccupied until his brothers returned to help. Raph held Donnie in his arms, he was unstable now to not even be able to hold himself up. He took the task of carrying him back to the lair. Donnie hated to be carried but he was floating in and out of consciousness to even notice.

"Set him down here." Leo said. Raph gently set Don on the bed and began taking off all of his equipment. Mikey helped, carefully taking off Don's glasses so he wouldn't crack them and his headgear.

"That looks bad." Mikey mumbled gravely.

"The bullet is still in. I see no exit wound." Leo stated as he carefully roll Don over a little. Donnie cried out in pain and roughly gripped on to Leo's shoulder. At least the bullet hadn't hit anything major from what Leo could tell. The task of getting the thing out was going to be extremely painful. Leo felt around the skin, finding the large case near Don's shoulder blade and deep in the muscle. It was too far in to go through the entry point, Leo was going to cut into it.

The entire process felt like hours to Raph. He kept by his brother's side, holding him down as Leo got to the task of getting the bullet out and dung around in his flesh. No medicine, no anesthetic and just a rubber belt to clench his teeth in.

This _sucked._

Raph hadn't left Don's side, even after they stitched him up and left him alone to sleep. His brother dealt with the overwhelming pain that hardly granted his any rest if any. This was the first real injury that they've handled since going topside and, hell, it was taxing. Raph was trembled, his hand rested on Donnie's forearm, watching and listening to him breath. The image of last night's events played out in his mind, rewinding and fast forward like a tape. He could have prevented this.

It made him angry beyond belief. He was too damn slow to react. He saw the dot, he could have pushed Don or alerted him sooner. Everything was avoidable but he failed to protect Don.

Raph groaned and rubbed the top of his head. Releasing Don's arm from his grasp, he got up and swayed forward. Don was gonna be okay, he was gonna pull through. Leo had cleaned him up and stitched him. Infection was always possible and really inevitable for them. They always pulled through but it was shock and unexpected turn of their victory..

..they were careless. _He _was careless.

Raph turned his head slightly towards his brother, watching the rise and fall of the blankets, and frowned. "Never again.. He sneered.

The worst thing about Hamato Clan hospital was that there was no pain medicine. Ever. They had to make the best out of what they had, even if it meant reusing some stuff. Nasty but it was better than nothing at all. Infection was mostly likely due to keeping the bandages on for more than a few days. Eventually, Raph just ripped apart a blanket to use on Don's wound and tossed away the dirty wraps. A supply run was very much needed now.

"H-how..how bad is it?" Donnie asked weakly.

Raph carefully cleaned some of the dried up blood around the stitches with the alcohol swap and moved his hand away. "Not that bad. It's best if ya don't even see it." He replied. _It looks fucking gross as hell. _

"Move yer arm a bit, D."

Donnie moved his arm slowly up until it aggravated the wound and stretched the skin underneath. Raph grabbed Donnie's wrist and gently helped his arm back to rest on the bed. Don let out a small whimper. "Hurts.."

Raph frowned. "Just checking. Won't ask ya again to do that."

Donnie watched his brother as he worked on rewrapping his wound. He could easily tell when something was wrong, something beyond this and it was obvious for Donnie to catch. He grabbed Raph's bicep with his other hand, his brow was narrowed in concentration. The pain was debilitating.

"Raph..?"

He really didn't need to go on, Raphael just wasn't interested in talking about ..anything right now. He was upset and he was trying to be delicate as he handled Don. The thing he hated the most was the fact that Don had a odd ability to remain silence, not say a single word or hint of body language, but was always able to make anyone talk.

"They didn't catch him."

"Who?"

Raph sighed heavily, "The shooter."

Don let go of his arm and rested. "He..got away?"

"Yeah." Raph accidentally put pressure on the wound with his knuckle. Donnie jerked away and hissed sharply. "Shit! Sorry."

"Fine..fine." Donnie wheezed. "It..it's fine..ugh."

Raph quickly finished up and pulled his hands away. He was getting frustrated quickly. He pulled the blanket back up to cover Don up. He definitely needed to get out before he busted a fuse.

"I'm not..u-upset." Don huffed.

"You should be. I'll find him, where ever he is, he's a goner." Raph growled.

"Let it go.." Donnie glared up at him, his shoulder shifted slightly as if he were debating to get up but he didn't. "We stopped a bunch of scumbags robbing a poor woman's shop yesterday. What happened to me was my fault, I let my guard down and this is what I get." He retorted.

"You sayin' you deserve this?"

"N-no.."

"It sure hell sounds like it, Donnie."

Even when Don is weak and in pain, he still managed a perfect angry glare that matched Raph's evenly. Don's glare only lasted a few more seconds before he looked away. He was too exhausted to fight, it took the last bits of energy he had left and made him want to pass out.

"It's my job to protect my family," Raph said, "I ain't gonna let some scumbag human get away in thinking he can target us like that. Anyone who hurts us is dead. Do you think I'll let that guy get free after what he did?" He rubbed his beak with the back of his knuckles, he was shaking again as a slow rise of anger built in him.

Donnie slowly turned his head back to face Raph, wincing slightly as he felt a tinge of pain in his wound. "Humans are capable of terrible things, Raph. You think you can but sometimes you_ shouldn't_. The more time we spend in their world the more we risk ourselves of exposure. This is why we shouldn't have gotten ourselves involved in their world in the first place, we don't belong and we certainly won't survive." He rested back into the pillow and closed his eyes. "What we need..is to focus on each other cause that's all we have. I'm asking you to just let this go."

He held out his hand to Raph, his fingers curled slightly as it limply rested out. "Raph..."

Raph shook his head. "_I can't_." He stepped back towards his brother and gently grabbed his hand. "I'm gonna show this city fear if I have to, we aren't going to be hushed down here like animals and stepped on."

He was tried of hiding, no more hiding.

Don refused to speak to Raph after that. Even when he heard of the shooter's body being recovered and decapitated on the news a few days ago.


End file.
